Clinton's Judge Brennan dies

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2012 at 12:00 PMOct 30, 2012 at 3:26 PM

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

The Worcester area legal community mourned the passing of one of its own.

Judge Martha A. Brennan, the presiding justice of Clinton District Court, died yesterday at UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus, where she had remained hospitalized since being stricken Oct. 21.

“She was just a great person, easy to work with,” said Leonard F. Tomaiolo, clerk magistrate of the Clinton court. “She was a good jurist, and she did a wonderful job. It's a very unfortunate situation, and we're all going to miss her here.”

A graduate of Notre Dame Academy, Skidmore College and Suffolk University School of Law, Judge Brennan worked as a staff lawyer with the Massachusetts Defenders Committee, as an assistant district attorney in Worcester, and as a private lawyer before being named an administrative judge in the Department of Industrial Accidents in 1984. She held that position until 1988, when Gov. Michael S. Dukakis appointed her as an associate justice of Clinton District Court.

She was first named presiding justice of the Clinton court 12 years ago and was also the presiding judge of the Western Appellate Division of the district court department.

“She was a judge that I felt I could assign to hear any case, civil or criminal, jury or jury-waived,” said Judge Paul F. LoConto, the district courts' regional administrative judge. “She was a wonderful colleague and a professional person and we will all miss her dearly.”

“She had a great career, from public defender to D.A. to the Industrial Accident Board to district court judge,” said lawyer Nicholas C. Bazoukas.

“She was one of the first women who broke the glass ceiling in Worcester County — being the first woman district court judge,” he said.

Judge Brennan's father, William F. Scannell, the retired presiding justice of Westboro District Court, died April 19 at age 89.

Judge Brennan was 61 years old. She lived in Holden with her husband, lawyer Joseph F. Brennan Jr. They have two children, Joseph and Elizabeth Brennan.

“She was a people's judge. She really was. She understood what it was to practice law. She was always considerate of both the lawyers and the litigants,” Mr. Rojcewicz said.

Even when he was working as an assistant district attorney, lawyer Robert J. Iacovelli said, he appreciated the way Judge Brennan always tried to accommodate private lawyers who had law practices to run by getting them in and out of court as quickly as possible.

Judge James R. Lemire, Worcester Superior Court's regional administrative judge, first met Judge Brennan more than 30 years ago, when both worked as prosecutors for then District Attorney John J. Conte.

“She was well-respected by all her colleagues and the public and her death is a great loss to the judicial system. She will be hard to replace,” Judge Lemire said.